Let's talk about the different ways we can damage our hair... wearing tight ponytails, over styling, and over washing are just a few. We are happy to say all of these things leave room for improvement and changing some of these bad habits will lead to repairing your already damaged hair.
1. OVER WASHING
Some clients think that washing their hair everyday will replenish and nourish their dry and damaged strands. Sadly that's not the case. The whole purpose of washing your hair is to strip away product and oil build up. We know the struggle with oily hair... but if you don't give your hair the chance to take advantage of your natural oils then it will become very dry. It is important to figure out a washing routine that works for you. We suggest 3 or 4 times a week.
2. BRUSHING WET HAIR
We know… it’s hard to believe that wet hair is the most prone to damage, but it is. Your hair can stretch 30% more than it’s original length while it’s wet. So when you brush your wet hair, you pull your strands and stretch them until they break or snap apart. You can avoid this by letting your hair air dry and then brushing it out, or you can opt into using a wide tooth comb which will detangle your hair without breaking it. Moroccan Oil carries a perfect wide tooth comb that we absolutely love, available for purchase at Simply Devine Salon.
3. CURLING OR STRAIGHTENING WET OR DAMP HAIR
This is one of the worst things you can do to your hair. So we already discussed that wet hair is the most prone to damage. So if you add heat to already fragile hair then it’s only a recipe for disaster! The heat will combine with the water and If you are in a rush and need a bit of style, use your blow dryer on a medium heat and high speed. This will quickly dry your hair without frying it. Remember… make that cool button your friend.
4. USING TOO MUCH HEAT
Once your hair is dry and you’re looking to do one of your favorite styles take a moment to notice what heat setting you have your curling iron or straightener on. If you have fine thin hair you should never surpass the lowest heat setting! Even our thick and coarse haired girls need to remember that the highest heat setting is not good for our hair. When curling your hair, remember that the barrel doesn’t need to be on your hair for longer than 5 - 10 seconds. Here’s a tip to leave your curls lasting longer, once you’ve taken the barrel away from your hair, cup your curl in the palm of your hand for another 5 seconds before releasing. You can also bobby pin each curl separately while finishing the rest of your morning routine. Heat is not always our friend.
5. OVER BRUSHING
Yes… this is a thing. If you find yourself constantly brushing then you are repeatedly causing lots of friction between the strands. This can lead to split ends which eventually lead to a larger issue. Another important factor to focus on is the direction you are brushing. We suggest starting from the bottom and then gradually work your way up. When you start detangling from the top, you will encounter a lot more tangles than if you started from the bottom. This will cause you to rip the hair out which not only hurts but causes immense damage.
6. TOO MANY TIGHT STYLES
We all have our lazy days where we throw our hair up in a bun or ponytail and call it good… but doing this too often can actually cause damage! When you constantly have your hair tightly tied back it causes a tug between your strands and scalp which eventually leads to losing or breaking those strands. We say embrace your natural hair, or try heatless styles!
We have all made some of these mistakes but it’s not too late to break your bad habits. Your hair will thank you for it.
